ACTION ALERT for residents of Manly, Iowa

Officials in the city of Manly, Iowa discussed the possibility of repealing the city’s ordinance banning pit bulls at last night’s city council meeting. The city adopted its breed specific ordinance in 2008, but the ordinance has not been enforced. However, several residents recently received a letter from the city telling them they had 10 days to remove their “dangerous” animal from the city limits. Those dog owners appealed the order to remove their dogs at last night’s meeting.

The council heard from residents on both sides of the issue. In the end, they voted to table indefinitely a decision on what action it should take to allow time to get a better reading on the desires of the community as a whole.

If you live in or near Manly, please reach out to city officials. Thank them for taking up this issue and for encouraging public input and ideas. Urge them to move forward and enact a breed-neutral ordinance that focuses on irresponsible and reckless dog owners rather than specific breeds of dogs. Please emphasize the difficulty of enforcing BSL and the financial impact the ordinance will have on the city. Best Friends has a Fiscal Impact Calculator where you can calculate an estimate of the additional expenses on the taxpayers of a community that result from breed specific ordinances. Work with the city toward positive change in your community!